A Crown in Winter

Empress Vesna Borkovna Prochnost

Overview

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There is to be a new Empress! The greater majority of the Imperial Senate has voted to raise Vesna Borkovna Prochnost to the Throne. In a dramatic and very public show of support, a judgement of veto was then put before the Assembly of Nine and immediately and unanimously voted down. Senator Vesna is now set to be appointed at the start of the next Senate session, beginning with the formality of her own ratification.

Vesna's rise in the political sphere has been astounding. The youngest of seven children, the young Empress-to-be was raised on a pumpkin farm in the woods of Srodkoja before leaving home to join the Wardens of the Grateful Hearth. Her first journey to Anvil was at the Winter Solstice of 382YE, spending the year gathering allies and working to strengthen the nation of Varushka. She was elected senator for Ossium in Winter 383 and re-elected again in 384: two terms during which she worked hard in the interests of the people, passing motions to extend the Iron Roads and appraise other improvements to the territory.

Her service has not been entirely without controversy - she was called to inquisition for her part in the Winter 383YE treaty with the Thule, but the questioning passed without further resolution. During the Autumn summit of 385, she received the support of the Conclave and shortly after Vesna Borkovna Prochnost was elected to become the twenty-first Empress.

There is a war on, and the situation could be considered worse than when Empress Lisabetta took the throne... but the coronation of a Throne is a significant event in the history of the Empire. Even at the height of the Orc Rebellion, the coronation of Emperor Ahraz was followed by a night of revelry. Each new Throne places an indelible mark on the Empire, and their ascension never goes unmarked.

Timing

The Imperial Senate voted to elect Vesna to the Throne in the final Senate session of the Autumn summit. According to Imperial law, "a motion passed by the Senate does not become law until the beginning of the next session" - to give the Imperial Synod time to consider if they wish to veto the motion. The power of the Imperial Synod includes the right to veto all appointments, and since the election of a new Throne requires a constitutional vote, it can be vetoed by the General Assembly or the Assembly of Nine. However the judgement of veto must be submitted at the summit where the motion was passed.

While the matter of the Throne is so important that a coronation is always delayed until the beginning of the next session, it is still the case that any judgement of veto must be submitted at the same summit that a motion is passed. Of course that is difficult when a motion passes the Senate in the final session of the summit, but that is why the Civil Service allow a small grace period after the final session is concluding to allow any eligible citizen to indicate that they intend to seek the veto.

Thus, Senator Vesna will become the Empress at the start of the first Senate session, where her first responsibility will be to ratify her election. As such the civil service are publicizing the timetable for the coronation of the new Throne, having liaised with the Empress Elect to agree on the schedule of events that will be arranged to celebrate the momentous occasion.

The Coronation

Nation	Arrival Time
Varushka	13:30
Highguard	13:40
Urizen	13:50
The Marches	14:00
The League	14:10
The Imperial Orcs	14:20
Navarr	14:30
Wintermark	14:40
Dawn	14:50
Brass Coast	15:00

As is customary, the celebration of the Coronation will begin on the second day of the summit with a tour of the nations, with the new Empress visiting each nation in turn. The Throne's journey will be carefully choreographed by the Speaker for the Senate to ensure it keeps to time. There will be a small window for members of each nation to give the Empress a formal welcome in traditional national style if they wish to do so. The tour will begin in Varushka at 13:30 and proceed to Highguard, Urizen, The Marches, The League, The Imperial Orcs, Navarr, Wintermark, and Dawn before concluding in The Brass Coast.

Once the tour is complete, the Coronation ceremony will take place on field near Anvil (OOC Note: the Skirmish Field), where an area will be set aside with seating arranged for those that need it most. The Empress Elect has invited Kalina Jadwigowna Piosnkowa Prochnost to perform the coronation anthem. At 15:15, each nation will be invited to make a formal presentation to the new Throne, in line with their hearth magic and customs. The presentations will begin with the Brass Coast followed by Dawn, Highguard, the Imperial Orcs, the League, the Marches, Navarr, Urizen, Varushka, and concluding with Wintermark. Citizens who wish to represent their nation are advised to speak to their egregore.

Once each nation has had a chance to make their presentation, there will be a dedication to Prosperity performed by Ophelia Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato of The League. The Printers Guild will then present the Imperial Crown to the new Throne. In a break from tradition, the Empress Elect has asked Belakov Zakharovich Prochnost to crown her. Once she has been crowned, Empress Vesna will then deliver a short address. The closing of the ceremony will be marked by a performance of the Imperial Anthem.

Following the Winter Solstice summit, and the formal coronation, there are traditionally parties across the Empire, accompanied by a celebratory address from The Throne. You can learn more about these celebrations and what the Throne's first address means both for the Empire and their reign in the A Sparrow in Spring Wind of Fortune.

Edit!
We've edited this wind of fortune. It originally said that the General Assembly had an impossibly narrow window in which they could theoretically veto this appointment. On closer reading of the Imperial laws on the wiki, we realised that was not the case. Any veto does have to be submitted or "sought" at the event where the motion passes. That didn't happen in this case and the deadline has now expired. We've edited this page accordingly. If we discover any other errors over this issue, we will note them on this page, but we won't change the outcome any further. The contents of this wind represent the final judgement of the Constitutional Court on this matter.

Foreign Dignitaries

It is common for foreign nations with whom the Empire has good relations to send representatives to Anvil to recognise the new Throne. It is traditional for these dignitaries to bring gifts, to honour the Throne and for the Empress to receive from the throne. The civil service have set aside a brief period for these presentations, following the end of the coronation and before Senate begins at 16:00.

The governments of the Commonwealth, Faraden, Axos, Otkodov, and Sarcophan have all indicated that they intend to send a representative to acknowledge the new Empress. As a matter of protocol, foreign ambassadors are requested not to discuss political matters at this time. Any citizen who has business with the nation in question should ensure that they keep the matter until after the coronation has concluded.

All gifts presented at this time are considered the property of the Empress, not the Throne, and so it will be within the purview of the new Empress to dispose of them as they wish. Some Thrones keep one or more of the gifts they receive at their coronation to remember the moment. In other cases, Thrones have passed the dispensation of such gifts over to others. For example, Empress Teleri gave all formal gifts over to the Synod to determine suitably virtuous recipients, while Emperor Giovanni had almost all gifts he received while on the throne auctioned through the Bourse.

Addressing the Throne

Each Throne may choose their own forms of address. Traditionally, The Throne is addressed as "their Imperial majesty" but some Thrones have chosen a different honorific. Emperor James for example preferred to be addressed as "your honour" while Empress Richilde favoured the Dawnish "m'lady Empress". Most recently, Empress Lisabetta chose "Imperatrix" as her official title. While few people in the Empire put much store by personal titles, most citizens take a very different approach with The Throne. The Throne is chosen by the Senate, who hold their titles on behalf of the people of the Empire. As such it is suggested that The Throne stands as a symbolic representation of the Empire itself - and a failure to accord them due respect ultimately shows that the citizen does not respect their own Empire. At the very least, this can be seen as an abject failure of Pride.

By default, foreign dignitaries will refer to The Throne by the traditional title unless instructed otherwise.

OOC Note

The coronation of a new Throne is one of the most unique events in Empire - this is only the second time it has happened in the ten years that Empire has been running. We've published a timetable for the coronation that is deliberately designed to allow a little time for members of each nation to create something special. This represents a singular opportunity for any player who wants to get involved in the celebrations to help make the occasion as momentous as possible.

However, please bear in mind at all times that the new Empress is not a member of our NPC crew. They are a player, and should be treated with the same courtesy and respect you would give any other player at the event.

"What they arguing about?" Caecilia asked. Leontes was sat red-faced in his chair, while Magistrate Abraham stalked up and down in front of him waving his arms and trying not to shout.

Eeli leaned closer to her fellow civil servant so she could whisper more easily. "Synod Veto. Whether the General Assembly can still veto the appointment."

"Really?" Caecilla queried in a similar hushed tone. "I thought they settled that a week ago?"

"Yup" said Eeli slowly, grinning slightly. "But a weather vane only moves when the wind blows as they say..." Caecilla threw a confused look at her more experienced colleague so he pressed on. "Abraham is notorious for changing his views every day. Polite people say he just listens to whoever he spoke to last. Less polite people suggest he can no longer remember what he thought yesterday. Anyway he spoke with the Tribune of the Synod who convinced him they could veto. So he's spent yesterday trying to convince Leontes that the thing he thought the day before was now wrong. "

"And now?"

"Now it looks like Leontes has successfully changed his mind again..."

"Wow... How long they've been at this?"

"Six days... so far..."

"All for something that is absolutely not going to happen?"

"Yup" said Eeli again. "Welcome to the Castle of Thorns Caecilla. The Empire thanks you for your service..."

Further Reading

• A Sparrow in Spring - 385YE Winter Wind of Fortune regarding the immediate aftermath of the Coronation
• The Throne
• Veto